Longboard Photography and Filming Tips

As a professional photographer for the past 10 years, I realize how important great photos/video are to showcase longboarding at it's best.

Whether you are looking for some quick shots/clips to share on social media, or taking footage to try and find sponsors, these tips will help you get the best results.

Tip #1: Light is the first and most important detail.

Shoot at the golden hours. That first couple hours during and after sunrise and before and during sunset. The light is softer and more colorful at these times. You also won't have harsh shadows like midday. If you are going to follow one rule, this is the one.

Tip #2: Capture the whole scene.

Great footage and photos show the environment as well as the action. When you only show action it's less exciting and doesn't tell the whole story. Location, location, location! Longboarding is such a fun sport that takes us to very incredible locations. If we zoom in on just the action then we miss half of the excitement.

Tip #3: Get Low for more excitement.

Shooting from lower to the ground really captures the speed and excitement of the sport. By getting low you are taking a shot that isn't normally seen, and is rarely seen in person. When people spectate they don't watch from ground level. It also brings the athletes up above you making them larger than life. Capture emotion on the skaters face to make it even better.

Tip #4: Explore unique angles.

This may go somewhat against the go low tip, but it's good to mix your footage up. If you see a great opportunity to capture photo/video from a tree, through the bushes, or up on a roof, head up there and see if it looks good. Unique and uncommon angles really stand out and can look incredible. Remember to tell a story with each image!

Hopefully these tips help you take your photography/filming to the next level. If you have some awesome photos we'd be stoked to see them, tag #concretecoast in any post, or comment below with the image link for a chance to be featured on our accounts!